Saturday, March 11, 2017
Matthew 27:54; Luke 23:47 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!" ... [The centurion] glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"
IT HAPPENED ON GOOD FRIDAY: THE CENTURION MARVELED
As a soldier of Rome he had no doubt supervised many crucifixions. What happened on Golgotha was in itself nothing out of the ordinary. So why did the centurion fear greatly? He had witnessed the remarkable events that had transpired earlier that day: the unusual proceedings in the court of Pilate, the governor's inexplicable action of sentencing an innocent Man to die, the calm demeanor Jesus had shown. His uttering not a single curse word at His foes. When Jesus did speak, it was to utter a prayer of forgiveness for His foes and to promise Paradise to a dying thief. Then there was the extraordinary way He expired. Usually crucifixion victims would hang on the cross for days before dying finally from exhaustion. Jesus had hung on His cross for just six hours. The centurion noticed how Jesus did not die from exhaustion. He commended His soul into the hands of His Father ... voluntarily! Then there were the strange phenomena in nature: the earthquake, darkness, and splitting rocks. All the centurion had seen and heard caused him to recognize: the Person we have just crucified is no ordinary human. And it made him afraid.
But his fearing took a wonderful turn. He also experienced something within his heart that had never been there before: true peace and joy! By the grace of God the centurion came to recognize that the Crucified One was his Savior. This moved him to marvel and glorify God and say: "Certainly this was a righteous Man and the Son of God!"
May we join the centurion in praising the Lord. May we see Jesus as our sin-bearing Substitute, come from heaven to dispel our fear. Clothed in the garment of holiness He obtained for us, which has become ours through faith in Jesus, may we joyfully confess: "O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done MARVELOUS things, things planned long ago" (Isaiah 25:1). "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is MARVELOUS in our eyes" (Mark 12:11). Let us look forward eagerly to the time when the crucified and exalted Savior shall come "to be glorified in His holy people and to be MARVELED at among all those who have believed" (2 Thessalonians 8:10).
